Earth and Environmental Engineering Henry Krumb School of Mines

Interim Chair: Professor Paul Duby, 918 Mudd, 212-854-2905

Opportunities

  • environmental catalysis: reactor design and analysis
  • combustion phenomena and processes: alternative fuels and air pollution
  • waste to energy and biomass gasification
Activities will range from experimental data acquisition to literature surveys and theoretical modeling. This group’s main objective is to understand the underlying principles and mechanisms of the above processes to improve efficiencies, minimize environmental impact, and find alternative approaches. The work may be eligible for credit or work-study and requires about 10 hours per week.
Contact: Professor Marco J. Castaldi, mc2352@columbia.edu, 926-B Mudd, 212-854-6390
 

Opportunities

  • enhanced global sanitation and resource recovery from wastewater
  • design and application of bioprocess technologies for addressing global water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
  • wastewater treatment and climate change
  • mathematical modeling of microbial communities
  • impact of microbial interactions on environmental and public health
The environmental genomics and biotechnology labs offer excellent opportunities to work on independent as well as graduate student projects. Activities include development of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) approaches to serve the communities worldwide that are in most need for these services, but do not have adequate resources to do so. Our group adopts a fundamental approach using environmental engineering and microbiological techniques to address this issue. Activities of students involved include designing and operating lab-scale and pilot-scale reactors systems to solve pressing WASH needs, cultivation and maintenance of mixed and pure bacterial cultures and communities, characterizing the identity, abundance, and activity of these communities by using state-of-the-art molecular techniques, modeling the interactions within the communities using mathematical models, and examining the environmental and public health impacts of select microbial activities. Students working on these positions can receive either academic credit or work-study remuneration. Research activities may extend into summer. Minimum weekly commitment to earn academic credit is 10 hours.
Contact: Professor Kartik Chandran, kc2288@columbia.edu, 212-854-9027;
http://www.columbia.edu/~kc2288 
 

Opportunities

  • morphogenesis: why fruits/vegetables have distinct appearances; how to explain the patterns found in various animals, cells, tissues; how to create bio-inspired components in engineering
  • energy: how to harvest electricity from ambient and otherwise-wasted thermal and mechanical sources for enhanced energy efficiency and sustainability; how to protect systems from hazards and attacks by absorbing harmful energy; how to create a nanoscale thermal machine and electric machine
  • environment: how to overcome the bottleneck of carbon sequestration; how to selectively capture carbon dioxide from air
  • proteins/cells: how do the proteins interact with each other and respond to external stimuli? how to simulate whole cell behavior in a multiscale approach
  • nanoindentation: how to measure the mechanical properties of small material structures in quick and efficient ways; what are the properties of advanced materials and biosystems?
The micro/nano/biomechanics group offers excellent opportunities to work on independent as well as graduate student projects. The opportunities may provide academic credit or be work-study eligible. Details on research can be found at http://www.columbia.edu/~xc2107
Contact: Professor Xi Chen, xichen@columbia.edu, 212-854-3787
 

Opportunities

  • carbon dioxide sequestration as mineral carbonate
  • carbon dioxide extraction from the air
Our goal is to develop industrial processes for carbon dioxide capture and subsequent disposal. For disposal, the carbon dioxide is reacted with readily available magnesium-rich mineral silicates to form thermodynamically stable carbonates. For capture, we are working on capturing the carbon dioxide directly from the air for subsequent disposal. A commitment of a minimum of 5 hours a week is expected, either for credit or remuneration. Projects range from paper studies and library research to numerical modeling. There is also an opportunity for experimental projects. Preconditions tend to be few but vary with the work plan. They might include computer skills, some expertise in geology, chemistry, or fluid mechanics.
The following are examples of possible projects: (1) paper study and literature search to generate a map of worldwide resources of peridotite rock for chemically binding carbon dioxide; and (2) development of numerical and experimental tools for studying carbon dioxide extraction from the air.
Contact: Professor Paul Duby, pfd1@columbia.edu, 905 Mudd, 212-854-2928
 

Opportunities

  • carbon dioxide sequestration as mineral carbonate
  • carbon dioxide extraction from the air
Our goal is to develop industrial processes for carbon dioxide capture and subsequent disposal. For disposal, the carbon dioxide is reacted with readily available magnesium-rich mineral silicates to form thermodynamically stable carbonates. For capture, we are working on coal-based power plant designs that collect their own carbon dioxide emissions; a second project intends to capture the carbon dioxide directly from the air for subsequent disposal. A commitment of a minimum of 5 hours a week is expected, either for credit or remuneration. Projects range from paper studies and library research to numerical modeling. There is also an opportunity for experimental projects. Preconditions tend to be few but vary with the work plan. They might include computer skills, some expertise in geology, chemistry, or fluid mechanics.

The following are examples of possible projects: (1) paper study and literature search to generate a map of worldwide resources of peridotite rock for chemically binding carbon dioxide; (2) design of a web page to present zero emission coal research; (3) development of numerical and experimental tools for studying carbon dioxide extraction from the air.
Contact: Professor Klaus S. Lackner, kl2010@columbia.edu, 1045 Mudd, 212-854-0304

 

Opportunities

  • prediction of flood, hurricane, and drought risk using climate forecasts
    a. U.S. (Sacramento, Colorado, East Coast) and international (Brazil, Africa, Central Asia) applications
    b. water hazards, impacts, and response
  • energy and water demand forecasting, systems operation, and risk management
    a. options for New York City
    b. environmental regulation, ecological objectives, and the systems approach to option evaluation
  • nonlinear dynamics and chaos
    a. data-based prediction and system identification
    b. numerical models of interacting nonlinear oscillators with examples from climate and water systems
    c. statistical identification of predictability from time series
    d. experiments for complex planetary systems to explore the occurrence, sustenance, and self-regulation of life and climate on Earth
  • sustainable management of the environment
    a. solutions for regional planning and development
    b. competition, stakeholder perspectives, and the role of science in informed public and private sector decisions
A number of interrelated projects focus on exploring the function of water-dependent natural systems at scales ranging from river basins to hemispheres, and hours to millennia. The goal is to develop an empirical understanding of how this apparently fragile system works, how patterns emerge and lead to catastrophe (hazard or life), and how we can use this knowledge to better manage resource use and the environment by introducing this information to appropriate social institutions. The student is exposed to numerical and statistical modeling; integration of economics, environmental analysis, and mechanistic modeling; and elicitation of social factors as design objectives; and develops computer skills (GIS, high- and low-level languages). The opportunities provide academic credit and work-study wages, and will require up to 12 hours weekly.
Contact: Professor Upmanu Lall, ula2@columbia.edu, 840 Mudd, 212-854-8905
 

Opportunities

  • carbon capture, utilization and storage
  • study of novel liquid-like nanoparticle organic hybrid materials (NOHMs) for energy and environmental technologies
  • synthesis of liquid fuels from wastes and biomass
  • investigation of electrostatic charging phenomenon in multiphase flows
Research in this laboratory involves both experimental and modeling studies in catalytic and non-catalytic reactions related to energy and environmental systems. Undergraduate researchers are generally paired with graduate students on specific projects. However, independent research projects may be available for summer interns. The weekly time commitment is at least 10 hours.
Contact: Professor A.-H. Alissa Park, ap2622@columbia.edu, 1038A Mudd, 212-854-8989;
http:www.columbia.edu/~ap2622
 

Opportunities

  • interactions of green surfactants/polymers/proteins in solution and at interfaces
  • sustainable mineral resource recovery: fundamental and applied research, new reagents and new technology
  • nanotoxicity: effect of morphology and coatings of nanoparticles on their (bio)chemical activity
  • environmental engineering (effluent recycling and soil remediation, fate and role of nanoparticles in the environment)
  • interfacial phenomena applied to mineral surfaces, nanomaterials, bioimplants
  • nanogels as new smart materials for tissue engineering: design of nanogel-cell interactions to control cytotoxicity and cell growth
  • improved performance of surfactants and polymers in cosmetics and health care products
Activities include mechanical assembly, measurements of materials properties, spectral measurements, computational analysis, and minor experiments. The opportunities may provide academic credit or be work-study eligible. The weekly commitment is 10 hours.
Contact: Professor Ponisseril Somasundaran, ps24@columbia.edu, 905 Mudd, 212-854-2926
 

Opportunities

  • characterization of mine waste for CO2 sequestration (paper study involves collection of mine waste properties in U.S. for suitability as a source of magnesium silicates to be used in CO2 sequestration processes) 
  • rehabilitation and reuse of mined land: study of economics of alternative reclamation processes and end use of land for sustainable economic or ecological value
  • statistical study of largest regional earthquakes. Student researchers conduct global database search for identification of regional extremal earthquakes and help processing data for regional forecasting experiments
  • study of clean energy from coal, hydrogen production, fuel cells, carbon dioxide sequestration technologies
  • model development for analyzing various alternatives in the design of zero-emission power plants
This task requires strong programming skills (C++, Visual C++) and basic understanding of inorganic chemistry. Paper study, library research, plus analysis and design providing possible academic credit and work-study wages, requiring 8 hours weekly.
Contact: Professor Tuncel Yegulalp, yegulalp@columbia.edu, 926 Mudd, 212-854-2984

 

500 W. 120th St., Mudd 510, New York, NY 10027    212-854-2993